US-based CEO's comment on 'lazy' Indian techies adds fuel to fiery work-life balance debate

The San Francisco-based CEO also drew a comparison with Elon Musk, saying many successful people and those working at successful start-ups worked six to seven days a week before they saw success.

Amid the continuing debate in India over work ethic and work hours, a US-based Indian-origin CEO's comment on Indian software engineers' unwillingness to work has sparked a debate online.

It all began when San Francisco-based Varun Vummadi, an IIT alumnus and the CEO of GigaML, publicly criticised Indian software engineers, calling out their lack of work ethic despite their fat paychecks.

In a post on X, Vummadi wrote, "I've noticed a pattern in hiring engineers for our Indian office. Even with a base salary of Rs 1 crore, many are unwilling to work hard. A significant number of engineers with 3-8 years of experience are reluctant to work six days a week."

The CEO's post on X, with has garnered over 3.7 lakh views, did not sit well with some, who pointed out that times have changed and people aren't merely motivated by money.

"Intrinsic motivators like recognition, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization are far more powerful than salary alone in driving sustained dedication," wrote one user, while another opined, "Be it any field, the days of 'pay high salary and make them work 24x7' are gone, in my opinion."

Another pointed out that five-day work weeks should be the norm, writing, "And it should be that way. 5 day work week as a norm. Additional work as absolute necessity. Then only you can keep balance in family, society. Dosent mater how much you make. (sic)."

Yet another user pointed that many would be willing to take a lower salary for a five-day work week—"Offer them five days a week and Rs 75 lakh. I am glad some people are prioritising mental health and family over money," the user wrote.

Not impressed, the CEO responded, "So work-life balance is what cuts it for attention and press in Indian crowd. People who are willing to work hard hope they don't get eaten up by this virus; many successful startups did 6 or 7 days a week. @elonmusk is a living example of where you can be if you work hard."

Vummadi's observation and the sharp reactions to them come amid a raging debate about work-life balance, sparked by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy's comments about a 70-hour work week, and more recently, by L&T chairman S N Subrahmanyan's remakrs about employees working on Sundays.